My name is Valentina Rodriguez and I am originally from Texas but have spent most of my life in the Adirondack Mountains of Northern New York. I graduated in 2015 from Harvard University with a degree in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. I love to travel, and shocker I know, spend my time outside! I especially love to be outside in water, both liquid and solid forms. Before medical school I spent time as a canoe guide in northern Ontario Canada, I lived in the subarctic region of the Northwest territories learning about traditional land use and explored my local trails and waters of the Adirondacks with my fiancé and pup. I am applying to emergency medicine residency this coming cycle with hopes to spend my career in areas with underserved populations in rural areas. As a person of color, my hope for both wilderness medicine but also just the outdoor space in general is that it is made more accessible to other people of color.  One of my secret talents is that I can perform a headstand in pretty much any situation, for example with skies on or on the stern of a floating canoe.